The lowest final round ever shot at The Open Championship is 63 — done three times, and only once by the winner: Henrik Stenson’s ten-birdie masterpiece at Royal Troon in 2016 that beat Phil Mickelson in the greatest duel in major history. The other two belong to Payne Stewart, whose Sunday 63 at Royal St George’s in 1993 vaulted him to second behind Greg Norman, and Jodie Mudd, who shot the first final-round 63 in Open history in 1991 — at Royal Birkdale, the very course hosting this week’s championship.
No one has ever shot a final-round 62 at The Open. That record is live on Sunday, because Birkdale has spent the week rewriting the scoring books: three 62s in three days — Sam Burns and Lucas Herbert on Friday, Ryan Fox on Saturday — meaning all four 62s in men’s major championship history have now come at Royal Birkdale, alongside Branden Grace’s original in 2017. With Burns leading by two, Fox in the final group, and the course playing firm and fast in a heat wave, the first Sunday 62 in Open history is a genuine possibility.
The Open Championship
Lowest Final Round in Open History
The three 63s — and the 62 that’s never happened
63The Record
3Times Shot
1By a Champion
4Major 62s, All Birkdale
The Lowest Final Rounds at The Open
Regulation final rounds, through the 2025 Open.
| Score |
Player |
Year & Venue |
Notes |
| 63 |
Henrik Stenson |
2016, Royal Troon |
The only final-round 63 by the champion — ten birdies to win the duel with Mickelson |
| 63 |
Payne Stewart |
1993, Royal St George’s |
Charged to second behind Greg Norman |
| 63 |
Jodie Mudd |
1991, Royal Birkdale |
The first final-round 63 in Open history — at this week’s venue |
| 62 |
Never |
— |
No final-round 62 has ever been shot at The Open |
Stenson’s Standard
The 2016 final round is the measuring stick for closing rounds in majors: 63 with ten birdies, head-to-head with Mickelson’s 65, finishing at a record 264. Third place that day was eleven shots behind Phil.
Birkdale, the 62 Factory
Grace in 2017, then Burns, Herbert and Fox this week — every 62 in men’s major history has come on these dunes. Whatever combination of firm turf, benign wind and sightlines does it, Birkdale is where scoring records go to fall.
Sunday’s Setup
Burns at 10-under owns the lowest consecutive 36 holes in major history (62-65); Fox just shot 62 to reach the final group. If the record final round falls Sunday, it decides a Claret Jug in the same breath.
The Bottom Line
Three 63s, never a 62 — a record that has survived a century of Sundays and may not survive this one. The man most likely to threaten it is profiled in the Sam Burns story, and the championship’s other scoring benchmarks in Open Championship birdie records.
